September 16, 2018

Damariscotta Oyster Celebration, Maine

Damariscotta Oyster Celebration, Maine

Maine, The Way Life Should Be

This year my husband and I had the pleasure of visiting Maine multiple times this year! Every trip to Maine has been memorable and unique from the last. The most unique by far was our trip up to attend the first annual Damariscotta Oyster Celebration. Yes, they are doing this again and you can already get tickets. The long weekend was such a blast, we experienced and learned so many new things. If you love good beer, wine, food and oysters then keep on reading and then grab your tickets here. The DOC was an incredible experience that truly felt once in a lifetime. Luckily this new celebration is annual, so you can go again and again. My advise, go at least once.

Damariscotta Oyster Celebration

Downtown Damariscotta

DOC Day 1

Day one was mostly filled with travel, then grabbing lunch in Portland with some family and devouring lobster rolls at Eventide. And, when in Maine, we of course had to visit the Allagash brewery (I’ll share more about that at the end of this post, after I give you DOC details.)  

I sat at the same table as Eamon Clark of Toronto Canada. He has held the number one spot in the Canadian oyster shucking rankings eight times since 2007.

Once we check into our room we headed to the first event for the Damariscotta Oyster Celebration.

The International Oyster Chef Of The Year Competition

There was unlimited wine and beer, appetizers and we all got to taste and judge the Oysters prepared by the chefs. They also had official judges so there were two ways for the chefs to win. The Judges Choice AND People’s Choice winner this year was Chef Nathaniel Adam of BHCC.

The Winning Oyster

DOC- THU 0614 Oyster Chef of Year Menu

These are the oysters in the order of the menu.

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DOC Day 2

Tour De Source

Tour itinerary attached with schedule, each stop’s description, our river guides’ bios, map, etc. Click the image below to click through the multiple pages.

DOC- FRI 0615_TOUR Itinerary

Riding the riverboat was such a unique, peaceful and awe-inspirating experience.

We saw multiple oyster farms and stopped to hear them talk about what they do. They explained the workday, what they were currently doing and answered any questions we had. It was amazing to be up close like this, seeing first hand where these delicious animals come from and processes they go through before they make it to our plate.

Some Oysters never made it to a plate. This oyster was shucked fresh for me. Have you ever had an oyster freshly shucked straight from the cold ocean water? Everyone was so amazed and excited to eat the most freshly shucked oysters. It was the most incredible experience. This is what I mean about the DOC being an event everyone should experience at least once in their life.

This puppy had all of our hearts! Isn’t he so precious?

Maine is so gorgeous!

Taste Maine’s Future Showcase Dinner

This dinner was another stunning part of the DOC. In an old barn we had immaculate appetizers, oysters, main dishes, wine and beer. I can tell you, no one left this evening hungry. Wine and dish pairing were announced by Chemin des Vins’ rep Jim Elston as we were being served.

DOC- FRI 0615 TMF Dinner Menu

Isn’t this atmosphere so stunning? The coastal place settings and decor really added to the nostalgia.

Some early appetizers were served family style. I took a small amount of each before deciding which I wanted more of on my plate.

I’m pretty sure no one left thirsty.

The photo doesn’t do justice to this plate. These chefs were amazing.
Of course there were oysters galore around as well.

DOC Day 3

Can-Am Shuck Star Competition and Oyster Party

Day 3 was in downtown Damariscotta under tents, to keep us out of the sun and keep us dry if there was potential rain. It didn’t rain, was a beautiful day and killer event.

Todd Gutner from NEWS CENTER 6’s Chief Meteorologist, MC’ed the Shucking Competition, which was one of the coolest competitions I’ve witnessed. The Jason Spooner Band performed from 5-7pm. There was wood-fired oven pizza served by Harvest Moon and, of course, all SEVEN participating Oyster Farms shucked n’served their oysters! Think unlimited oysters for you to go and eat, yes, that many. Plus, there were Allagash and Shipyard beer choices along with wine options.
Also Skidompha Library & Wicked Scoops put on a Kids Oyster Shell Art Contest that was in the tent 10:30-Noon.  

You can see James and Eamon (first and second place winners) in this capture.

Where We Stayed

Most of the people stayed at the Boothbay Harbor Oceanside Golf Resort which is also where the first event that rocked off this Oyster Celebration was held. It’s a stunning resort, with multiple views of the water.

We stayed at Linekin Bay Resort.

There are tons of options for your stay at the Linkekin Resort, however we stayed in the Linwood Lodge. This building has a stunning waterfront view for each room.

Ya that’s an oceanfront view from the pool.

If you have been wanting to visit Maine, the DOC was a magical and mind blowing experience. Definitely snag your tickets now for the Damariscotta Oyster Celebration.

Oh and ya, I definitely brought some Allagash in a cooler to our resort so we could sip on cold Maine craft beer while looking at this gorgeous scenery. If you fly into Portland, ME than you should consider stopping by at the Allagash brewery and bringing some beer along during your stay.

Here is that peek into Allagash I talked about at the beginning.

If you love Oysters & Maine this is an experience you don’t want to miss. If you haven’t been to Maine, but have had it on your list, this is an amazing opportunity to really understand what our state has to offer and how beautiful and simple life can be.

XO Eryka

 

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